


[HIATUS] The Way to a Man's Heart Is Through His Stomach

by mindmyownbznz



Category: iKON (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cooking, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Junbobficsparty2020, M/M, junbob, well a sad attempt at humor that is, with yummy photos of food
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:53:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22864339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mindmyownbznz/pseuds/mindmyownbznz
Summary: Junhoe thought his life in this apartment would go on as safely, peacefully and (to be quite honest) boringly. But one day, someone moved in next door, someone absolutely unexpected. And just like that, Junhoe's entire world seemed to turn upside-down. Now, Junhoe, who was known to be a total disaster in the kitchen, was struggling to cook something nice that his new neighbor would enjoy.
Relationships: Goo Junhoe/Kim Jiwon | Bobby
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	1. 01_Kimchi Bokkeumbap

**Author's Note:**

> My second entry for the #Junbobficsparty2020! The prompt is #29, "YUNHYEONG YOU FUCKTARD YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO HELP ME COOK", which was actually the first prompt I was drawn to but couldn't manage to write until now. I'm using 1st person POV just because I felt like trying it out, and I think I'm kinda enjoying writing this style.  
> Anyway, there will be few chapters ahead, but I don't predict there will be a lot. Each chapter will be titled with food names because, well, it's basically about cooking. Okay. Without further ado, I hope you'll enjoy (my sad attempt at humor) this fic. :D  
> (BTW this fic was originally written in Bahasa Indonesia, so if you want to read that version, go to ghostbznz here to check it out)

When the first time the idea popped up in my brain, I thought, "DAMN! What an awesome idea! I'm such a genius!"

Because, let's just be honest here. I'd been thinking about giving the new neighbor something, some kind of gift. It can't be anything too general, but it can't be anything to personal either. Definitely not clothes or accessories. I didn't want to seem to creepy. I mean, the guy just moved in here, and a neighbor of his was already giving him shirts or a ring? Wouldn't that be scary?

And then, last night, while I was watching (re-watching, actually) some of the videos in his channel, the thought randomly came to me.

"He makes mukbang videos. Why don't I just cook him something to eat?"

I'm such a genius, right?

I was so amazed with how brilliant my idea was, I forgot the main factor and the key to the success of the idea's execution: I need to cook. And I CAN'T COOK AT ALL.

You must think I'm kidding. Anyone could cook, albeit something simple. Instant ramen, boiled egg. Me? I can't cook those. The last time I tried boiling an egg, I left the pan with the egg in it and went to the toilet for a whole hour. The moment I came back to the kitchen, all the water had already evaporated, the pan had fallen down, the egg had rolled off somewhere, and the stove had almost exploded.

Genius = exceptionally dumb.

What happened back then made me a little bit traumatized to go back into the kitchen, especially because Yunhyeong had nearly chopped me into tiny little pieces and made me into meatballs. Well, understandably, I almost burned the building down, but he was being a little bit over the top, wasn't he? But to be safe, until today, I survived not by cooking food on my own, but by eating the food Yunhyeong had cooked or order delivery stuff from restaurants.

Okay, then, back to the plan I mentioned earlier.

So, how was I supposed to give the new neighbor home-cooked food if I couldn't cook? Should I order something from a restaurant and then claim that I cooked it myself? No, no way. I admit I'm an idiot (only sometimes), but I'm not a liar.

Thank goodness, THANK GOD ALMIGHTY IN THE HEAVENS ABOVE, my flatmate, my dear cousin, is a cook. Or at least he claims to be a cook. Song Yunhyeong a.k.a Song Chef. The guy who spends his days in the kitchen, be it at home or at his workplace. The guy who surely knows many different recipes for food, hard ones and easy ones.

With the noble intention to establish a warm and friendly relationship with our new neighbor, and to develop my own capacity as a human being on the face of the earth, tonight I went to approach Yunhyeong and speak to him.

"NO," Yunhyeong responded loudly as soon as I finished speaking. I wanted to punch him on the face, but how could I? I was in the position of asking him for help.

"Why not? This is for our own good, Hyung. If I can cook then you don't have to bother preparing for my meals every night. You've already spent so much time at work, facing all the pans and cooking ingredients, and you still have to deal with the same stuff when you get home?" I pulled off my sweet-talk method.

Yunhyeong was staring at me with squinted eyes. I didn't think my sweet-talk method worked.

"No," he repeated the same syllable. "You can't possibly forgetting already that the last time you tried cooking, you almost burned down the apartment? And stop it with the 'establish a warm and friendly relationship' crap, asshole. I know your real motive."

Again, I was so tempted to choke Yunhyeong until he begged for mercy, but I held myself back. I put on the sweetest smile I could muster, pretending I was all innocent. The way celebrities do when gossip media reporters are interviewing them.

"What motive, Hyung? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I hiv ni idii whit yir tilking ibiit," Yunhyeong mimicked me, lips twisting. "I know you're just trying to get close to the neighbor! Making up all this crap about learning how to cook!"

This is the kind of attitude of Yunhyeong that most of the times makes me reconsider my decision of becoming his flatmate. He's an asshole. He really is. If only putting someone into a sack and making him into a boxing target hadn't been illegal...

But my current situation pushed me to draw every willpower I had and act nice in front of him. Later, though, as soon as I got what I needed, we'll just see. I'm going to hide his favorite spatula until he comes to me begging for mercy.

"Fine, okay, you're right, Hyung," I said, pretending to relent. "One of my motivations is to approach him. But it's really just a small part of my overall intention. The main one is to reduce the amount of work you need to do every day. Seriously, Hyung."

Yunhyeong was still staring at me with that really annoying look on his face. For quite a while. But then he heaved a breath.

"If I teach you some easy recipes, you have to promise to clean up your room every single day," he said. "As clean as possible. I don't want to see another underwear hanging from the curtain bars, underwear that YOU'VE BEEN WEARING FOR THREE DAYS STRAIGHT. We have a laundry rack, Junhoe! We also have a washing machine! And detergent, in case you didn't notice!"

"I promise!" I said quickly. Whatever. I would just say yes to whatever he asked me to do. I would think of how to do it later.

▪︎▪︎▪︎

I bet you're wondering, who the hell is this new neighbor I've been talking about?

It's a long story, guys. Well, not too long, really. But, basically, I've known that person long before he moved into the apartment next door. I did mention, earlier, about me watching his videos in his channel? Yep. He's a YouTuber, and he posts mukbang videos. His name is Bobby. It's not his real name, no. His real name is Kim Jiwon. He's 24 years old, and he comes from Yeonnam-dong.

And I'M A HUGE FAN OF HIS.

I can't even explain how much of a fan I am. I've liked him since his first ever video showed up, when he was still an awkward newbie and had no idea what to talk about in front of the camera. The look on his face was so cute, all jittery and embarrassed. Plus, he had like two big, crooked front teeth that made him look like a bunny. He showed progress in his next videos, and when he seemed comfortable talking to an audience, he was actually really funny. He even showed his rapping skills (yes, sometimes while he was chewing his food he would be imitating some rappers, spitting out words and parts of the food he was eating). He had such swag that I just couldn't take my eyes off of him.

Now, with that background, it was obvious why I had a shock a couple of days ago when that very human I used to be watching on the screen of my laptop showed up right behind our apartment door!

"Hello, I'm your new neighbor," he said, grinning from ear to ear. "I just moved in next door."

THIS WAS INSANE. I MUST BE DREAMING. THIS COULDN'T BE ANYTHING ELSE BUT A DREAM. But my eyes were wide open. My heart was beating like crazy. My head was dreaming. I was most definitely awake.

I don't know how long I was standing there on the entrance. The next thing I knew, my shoulder was hit by Yunhyeong. Hard. Definitely an asshole. But I was kind of grateful he didn't leave me standing like an idiot there for too long. It was embarrassing.

My first meeting with Bobby (a real, face-to-face meeting, I mean, not a face-to-computer screen meeting) went by quite normally, aside from the fact that I was acting like a total fool. When he was introducing himself, he said, "My name is Kim Jiwon, but people usually call me Bobby." He was smiling the sweetest smile I had ever seen. HOW WAS I NOT AWED??? I was actually so awed, I didn't even realize he was offering his hand for a handshake. I woke up from my trance when he cleared his throat, eyes flicking down toward his hand.

I swear if I could only punch myself on the face. I AM SO EMBARRASSED, GOD.

So then I shook his hand. My hand was shaking, I know it. My palm was probably sweaty too. I could only pray that Bobby didn't notice how nervous I was.

This trembling and sweating condition of mine continued all the way until Bobby bid his goodbye. He said he wanted to visit the other neighbors on the floor. Maybe he was thinking, "Is this kid having a fever or something?" about me. But honestly, I couldn't even think clearly back then. Imagine being in my shoes! Here was someone you had been admiring on the screen of your computer or phone, right in front of you. Real. Solid. Touchable (although I did NOT have the courage to touch him!). How would you feel? You'd feel as horrible as I was, wouldn't you?

The moment Bobby left our apartment, you could probably guess how Yunhyeong acted. I was an easy target, ladies and gentlemen. I don't even know how his cheeks didn't hurt, grinning and laughing for as long as he did. Finally, I left him, still laughing insanely. I went to my room and closed the door as tightly as I could until I couldn't hear him cackling anymore.

I hate Song Yunhyeong.

▪︎▪︎▪︎

My first cooking lesson began one weekend, when Yunhyeong had a day off from work. I was so excited I was all prepared since morning. I showered, I put on perfume, brushed my hair. The minute I walked into the kitchen, Yunhyeong told me to put on an apron.

"How do I put this on?" I asked, turning the purple-flowery clothe in my hands.

Yunhyeong sighed. "Come here," he said, taking the apron from my hands, and then helping me to put it on.

It felt kind of weird to be wearing an apron, it's like a skirt but it only covered my front side. But Yunhyeong said if I didn't wear it, my t-shirt might get oil stains on it, and it would be hell washing it off. Fine, then. I agreed to whatever he was saying, better than him telling me to do the laundry for three whole months.

The recipe that Yunhyeong was teaching me today was kimchi bokkeumbap. He said it was easy, beginners wouldn't find any problem trying out this recipe. With that said, I wasn't wrong in expecting that everything would go smoothly without the smallest obstacle, was I?

But in reality, I was already thinking of giving up a few minutes into the practice, when I was cutting onions. No, not because my eyes were burning like in literal hell because of the onion (well, that too), but because Yunhyeong COULDN'T KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT commenting on every single thing I was doing!

"No! That's not how you cut it, Junhoe!" Yunhyeong shouted again. This would be the eleventh time in the past five minutes. "I told you, cut it thinly! You might as well leave it whole if you're cutting it so thick like this."

"My eyes are killing me! I can't even see what I'm doing!" I reasoned. I wish I could wipe off the tears coursing down my cheek, but I knew how bad it would be if I touched my face with onion-stained hands.

"Stop with your reasons! You don't make up reasons if you want to be a cook!" Yunhyeong argued. I honestly wanted to grab a handful of said onions and smack them onto his face. "Come on, do it right. Once you're done with the onions, cut the garlic and kimchi too."

I kept reminding myself that I was doing this for Bobby, and by doing so I survived the cutting part without feeling too tempted to drive the knife into a different target. The next step was to start sauteing the ingredients I had already prepared. Yunhyeong instructed me to pour oil into the pan, and then put in the minced garlic and onions.

Oil splattered the second the garlic and onions got in, and I instantly jumped away. Noble intention my ass, I don't want to suffer from third degree burn!

"Hey! Where are you running off to! You can't be scared of hot oil!"

"How can I not be scared?! It would hurt like hell to get that on my skin!"

"Of course it would! But the cooking won't ever be finished if you keep running off like that!"

Before any kind of war of spatulas happened between Yunhyeong and me, I calmed myself down and tried approaching the stove carefully. I did all that Yunhyeong told me to do, starting from stirring the garlic and onion in the pan, to putting in the chopped meat. After the kimchi got in, there weren't all that many life-threatening accidents like earlier, and it became easier for me to ignore Yunhyeong's nagging (yes, he hadn't stopped. I really have no idea what he wanted!).

When the cooking process was finally(!) over, OH GOD, I FELT SO RELIEVED. I don't think I ever felt that relieved! It felt like I had just finished an inhumanly difficult work, or a rigorous military training, and I had survived all that with all my sweat, tears and blood (yes, blood, because I managed to cut my own finger when I was chopping green onions, and those were only used as GARNISH! Fml.).

So how was the result? I dare say it was good. I burned the sunny-side egg a bit, but the bokkeumbap itself tasted good. Nobody would ever guess that I was the one who cooked it.

But to get a more objective judgment, I took the initiative to call Donghyuk, one of the inhabitants downstairs. The guy was so excited when I told him he could eat for free at my place. I didn't tell him who cooked the food, for fear of him declining the invitation.

It didn't even take five minutes for Donghyuk to appear in my appartment, his face beaming. I told him to go straight to the dining room and eat up, both I and Yunhyeong standing on the side watching his reaction. Donghyuk was eating so fast, he didn't even realize that he was being observed. He looked so hungry as if he hadn't eaten for days.

"Is it good?" I asked.

"Hood, heahy hood," Donghyuk mumbled unclearly. His cheeks were stuffed full of rice.

"Junhoe cooked that," Yunyeong stated, which promptly made Donghyuk shocked until he was choking. He hurried to get some water.

Once he finished drinking an entire glass of water, Donghyuk glared at me and Yunhyeong. "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME."

Yunhyeong shook his head. "I'm not. I swear. I only told Junhoe the recipe and the instructions, he did all the cooking."

Donghyuk instantly looked pale, his eyes flicking back and forth between Yunhyeong and me. "I--I'm not gonna die, am I...?"

My first impulsive thought was to kick Donghyuk so hard he went flying off like some bad guy in Bruce Lee's movies. But I held myself back. I needed his opinion and criticism.

"No, you're not gonna die, what the hell! I'm not trying to poison you!" I said a little bit emotionally. "It's safe, I swear!"

Donghyuk was still staring at me with fear on his face for a few more minutes. But then, he shrugged. "If I end up at the hospital, you're gonna pay the bills," he said. "But really, it's good. If you didn't tell me that Junhoe cooked it, I would never be able to guess. Anyway, Junhoe, what's gotten into you? Why's the sudden urge to cook? Didn't you say you wouldn't enter the kitchen ever again?"

Half an hour later, Donghyuk was already leaving, going back to his habitat. He was fully stuffed, healthy (he didn't drop dead, I swear!!!), and was fully informed of the reason why I was learning how to cook.

Donghyuk's praises gave me the foundation to conclude that my effort paid off. It was a success. It became a motivation for me to carry on with my struggle which was to cook some edible for Bobby. My next challenge, the MAIN challenge would be: to hand the meal I made personally to Bobby.

**▪︎ TO BE CONTINUED ▪︎**


	2. Sikhye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, yeah, sorry, I've been so preoccupied I couldn't sit down and think, let alone write. Apparently I'm no good at working on 2 stories at once, hahaha.

As far as I am aware of, I've always been a good person. I've done nothing but good things; I respect my parents, I help those in need, and I save up for my future. Despite all that, why do I have such a bad karma? This bad karma meaning having absolute assholes as friends.

Some of the guys who live in this apartment, including poor old me who ends up knowing these dumbasses, are members of a group chatroom. Now. Remember the other day when I made Donghyuk into my test rabbit to try out the food I cooked? And when I kindly and without any suspicion told him the whole reason why I had learned how to cook? I really thought I could trust him, that he wouldn't tell anyone about what I had told him, and nobody had met the new neighbor anyway.

OH, HOW I WAS SO WRONG.

It turned out, Donghyuk had the BIGGEST mouth.

So here's how it happened. It was broad daylight, and I was struggling to sit through a class (the professor was a monster, I'm telling you) while being hungry as heck. Suddenly, my phone buzzed with notification from the group chatroom. The conversation went out of topic more often than not, so here I bring you the edited version.

> **Donghyuk:** GUUUYYSSS, WASSUP GUYSSSSSS  
>  **Donghyuk:** I've got some hot news guyssssss  
>  **Jinhwan:** It's too early for this, Donghyuk  
>  **Hanbin:** It's 2 PM, Hyung  
>  **Jinhwan:** WHAT, HOW COME  
>  **Hanbin:** Do you even own a clock  
>  **Hanbin:** Open your curtain every once in a while  
>  **Hanbin:** Your room looks like a ghost lair  
>  **Jinhwan:** Shut up, Bin  
>  **Donghyuk:** ANYWAY GUYS DID YOU KNOW  
>  **Donghyuk:** JUNHOE'S LEARNING HOW TO COOK  
>  **Jinhwan:** WHAT  
>  **Hanbin:** YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME  
>  **Chanwoo:** Cook what, poisoned food?  
>  **Junhoe:** GOD DAMN IT DONGHYUK WHY ARE YOU TELLING EVERYONE  
>  **Donghyuk:** Um... Am I not supposed to?  
>  **Jinhwan:** Didn't you almost burn the building down the last time you tried to cook?  
>  **Junhoe:** ASKDHALSJDALJDLASK  
>  **Junhoe:** IT WASN'T THAT BAD, HYUNG  
>  **Jinhwan:** How was it not that bad, the lady on my floor called the fire department  
>  **Donghyuk:** But the food was delicious! I swear!  
>  **Hanbin:** DONGHYUK, YOU ATE JUNHOE'S COOKING??? WHY???? DID HE FORCE YOU TO??????  
>  **Hanbin:** ARE YOU IN A HOSPITAL RIGHT NOW? DO I NEED TO COME SEE YOU????

Just like I said: Assholes. Especially this guy named Hanbin. I think he has a certain grudge against me, I have no idea. Maybe it's because his little sister, Hanbyul, has a crush on me. I can't be blamed for that, though.

Okay. Let's continue.

> **Donghyuk:** I'm fine  
>  **Donghyuk:**... I think  
>  **Junhoe:** DONGHYUK I'M GONNA TOAST YOU  
>  **Donghyuk:** No wait, I'm really fine!  
>  **Chanwoo:** Why are you learning how to cook all of a sudden, Junhoe? What happened to Yunhyeong?  
>  **Yunhyeong:** It's Yunhyeong-HYUNG, Chanwoo my dear  
>  **Chanwoo:** Yes, Yunhyeong-HYUNG  
>  **Chanwoo:** How did he suddenly appear  
>  **Chanwoo:** Scary  
>  **Yunhyeong:** Junhoe is learning how to cook because he has a hidden motivation  
>  **Junhoe:** YUNHYEONG SHUT UUUUPPPPP  
>  **Yunhyeong:** Yunhyeong-HYUNG!  
>  **Yunhyeong:** Kids these days have no manners  
>  **Jinhwan:** SPILL EVERYTHING, YUNHYEONG, SPILL EVERYTHIIINGGGG  
>  **Jinhwan:** Dang I sound like a gossip-hungry old lady  
>  **Jinhwan:** I'm no old lady but I am gossip-hungry  
>  **Hanbin:** You guys are making me curious  
>  **Junhoe:** THERE'S NOTHING TO KNOW  
>  **Junhoe:** I JUST WANTED TO LEARN TO COOK, WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT  
>  **Yunhyeong:** So, ladies and gentlemen  
>  **Yunhyeong:** Junhoe is learning how to cook so that he can feed our new neighbor  
>  **Junhoe:** YUNHYEONG SHUT UP OR I'M GONNA THROW YOUR NEW PAN OUT THE WINDOW  
>  **Jinhwan:** YOU HAVE A NEW NEIGHBOR???  
>  **Hanbin:** A new neighbor?????  
>  **Yunhyeong:** Throw the pan away, Junhoe, and I will never teach you how to cook ever again  
>  **Yunhyeong:** And you can go feed yourself because I'm not cooking for you anymore  
>  **Hanbin:** Damn, Yunhyeong-hyung is scary  
>  **Jinhwan:** I'm shaking in fear as well  
>  **Donghyuk:** Don't fight, guuuyysss  
>  **Donghyuk:** Let's just talk about Junhoe's new neighbor  
>  **Chanwoo:** Please keep fighting, I hate seeing you guys being friendly  
>  **Jinhwan:** Chanwoo shut up  
>  **Jinhwan:** Give us the goods, Donghyuk  
>  **Donghyuk:** Why do you sound so suspicious, Hyung  
>  **Yunhyeong:** His name is Kim Jiwon a.k.a Bobby, Junhoe said he has a channel on YouTube and he creates mukbang videos  
>  **Hanbin:** Oh no, why does he have the same name as the love of my life, Kim Jiwon-ssi  
>  **Chanwoo:** What! I think I know that guy. His channel is called Bobbyindaeyo, right?  
>  **Yunhyeong:** Maybe? IDK  
>  **Junhoe:** It is  
>  **Chanwoo:** That guy moves into this apartment??!  
>  **Chanwoo:** Woooaaahh  
>  **Jinhwan:** Is he famous? I wanna see how he looks like  
>  **Chanwoo:** He's doing pretty great, he has like 400 thousand subscribers  
>  **Hanbin:** What does that have to do with anything? Why is Junhoe learning how to cook for him?  
>  **Donghyuk:** Because Junhoe has a major crush on him  
>  **Hanbin:** HUH  
>  **Jinhwan:** HUH  
>  **Chanwoo:** HUH  
>  **Junhoe:** KIM DONGHYUK  
>  **Donghyuk:**... oops?  
>  **Yunhyeong:** LMAO

So that's how it went, more or less. Now do you understand why I said I had such a bad karma? These dumbasses is the reason. The conversation made me so upset, I forgot I was in the middle of a class, and promptly cursed out loud.

It was instantly deathly silent in the class room. Every pair of eyes turned toward me... including the professor I mentioned. Do you know how it feels when you suddenly realize you're in a dangerous, life-threatening situation? When your heart seems to stop beating, your brain malfunctions, and your whole body freezes as if someone has just poured a you with whole bucket of ice water? Well, that's how I felt at that moment. The only thing I could think of, then, was, "This is the end of Koo Junhoe's history on the face of the earth."

I was so sure that it really was the end, that I was kicked out of the class and the entire semester. But maybe the god of luck still had a small bit of mercy for me. The professor 'only' told me to do a 15 pages essay on The Influence of Social Media on The Development of Modern Literature. In English. And I had to finish it in three days.

Well, it's still better than an instant E on my report card.

▪︎▪︎▪︎

That afternoon, I tried cooking the bokkeumbap according to Yunhyeong's recipe again. To tell you the truth, I wasn't supposed to go anywhere near the kitchen without his supervision. I think he's scared that I would destroy his kitchen into smithereens. But if I didn't practice, how was I supposed to get any better?

Furthermore, after I nearly got expelled from class earlier, I thought, YOLO. I don't have a lot to lose, man! If I had been doubtful before about how I should execute my plan (because I had been too scared I would freeze when I came face to face with Bobby again), now I was thinking, "If he accepts it, then great. If he doesn't, then whatever."

In the kitchen, I did everything that Yunhyeong had taught me the other day, starting from chopping all the ingredients to preparing the pan with the cooking oil. When I turned on the stove, I felt a little bit nervous, remembering how painful it had been when I accidentally got hot oil on my skin. To anticipate the same thing from happening again, I stood two steps away from the stove and lifted my apron to let it become a barrier between me and the pan. Once I felt it was safe enough, I threw in the minced garlic and onion into the pan. I still got a bit oil spattering, but I evaded the danger quite smoothly, if I may say so myself.

Once I got the meat in, everything else seemed to go well. I didn't even burn the egg like before. When I tasted the bokkeumbap, it was really delicious. It was probably even more delicious than the one I had cooked the other day, which, in my honest opinion, might have a lot to do with Yunhyeong not being there. I guess Yunhyeong's nonstop yapping had distracted me from releasing my maximum potential.

Now that I finished cooking and even garnishing my bokkeumbap, I racked my brain thinking about how I was supposed to give it to Bobby. Should I just go right ahead to his apartment and hand the whole plate to him? Or should I place the plate in front of his door, ring the bell, and runaway? Or... should I drag someone along to accompany me?

I reached for my phone inside my pocket, and scrolled down my contacts list. I clicked call, and after the third ring, the person picked up.

"Donghyuk, you get on the elevator and run to my apartment. You are accompanying me to Bobby's place. If you don't show up in 2 minutes, I'm going down there and tell your mom that you were watching porn yesterday. Now get your ass down here NOW!"

▪︎▪︎▪︎

The threat successfully brought Donghyuk to my place in less than 1.5 minutes. He was panting, his face was red. He looked torn between wanting to yell at me and being embarrassed as heck.

"You asswipe, why did you bring up the porn," he grumbled, still trying to catch his breath. I wonder if he took the stairs instead of the elevator. "I told you I was just curious! And I didn't even last five minutes before I turned it off!"

"The fact still stands that you watched porn behind your mom's back," I quipped back. "Now come on, you're coming with me to Bobby's!"

Donghyuk pouted. "Why do I have to come with you? You can go all by yourself."

I stood in front of Donghyuk (making use of my height, which was a good 10 centimeters taller than him, in order to look intimidating).

"This is the consequence of your own big mouth, or fingers, whatever! Why did you even mention it in the group!" I nagged him. "I didn't tell you the whole thing so you could tell the rest of the world, especially not Hanbin. Now he is going to tease me for the next couple of decades, are you happy???"

Donghyuk didn't say a world although he was still pouting, maybe feeling guilty. I hope he was feeling guilty, he should be. I really didn't want to imagine the gloomy future I was going to face. I think, for my own safety and sanity, I need to stay away for a while from the other occupants, most importantly Hanbin, my sworn enemy, and Jinhwan, the mother of gossips.

A few minutes later, the two of us were already standing on the aisle in front of Bobby's door. I felt so nervous, I was muttering all kinds of prayers I knew.

Just as I was in the middle of telling myself to calm down, Donghyuk moved ahead of me and rang the bell. I swear I had a heart attack! This dumbass!

"You're taking too long!" he said. "I need to pee!"

I was about to yell at Donghyuk, needing to explain to him that I needed a long and thorough mental preparation. I couldn't just press the bell like that. But whatever I wanted to say got stuck in my throat when the door suddenly opened and Bobby's face showed up from behind it. I instantly froze, my eyes wide open watching the sight of his messy red hair and his shocked, confused face.

OH, GOD. HE'S SO HANDSOME. CUTE. HE'S NOT HUMAN.

Thank goodness, I managed to stop myself before I could scream out loud or even run back to my apartment. In the mean time, Bobby was staring at me and Donghyuk confusedly. While my brain was still struggling to recover from the effect of seeing Bobby's face right before my eyes, Donghyuk elbowed me on the ribs. HARD. It was painful. I cringed.

"G-good afternoon, Bobby-hyung," I stuttered. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but um, I was just, you know, trying to cook at home, and then, um, I thought that maybe you would like to try the food I made..."

Bobby's eyes went wide at the sight of the plate I was carrying. "Oh my God, you didn't have to!" he said, but then he grinned. His rabbit teeth were so cute I felt like dying! "Your name is Junhoe, right? And is this your friend?"

"Yeah, this is..."

Donghyuk cut me off in a hurry, "I'm Donghyuk, I live downstairs, hi, nice to meet you, may I use your toilet?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure," Bobby stepped aside to let Donghyuk (who really looked like his bladder was going to explode) in. And as soon as Donghyuk disappeared, he looked at me and smiled. "Junhoe, come on in."

▪︎▪︎▪︎

Bobby's apartment still looked empty. Carton boxes were still strewn about in every corner in every room. The living room had only a short wooden table and an LED TV installed on the wall, there weren't any chair or sofa around. I sat on the floor with a thin pillow under my butt. Donghyuk had already got out from the toilet (looking entirely relieved) and was now sitting right next to me.

"Sorry, the place is still a huge mess," Bobby said while going back and forth between the living room and what seemed to be the kitchen. I saw him placing the plate containing my home-made bokkeumbap on a table in there. "I haven't had the time to set up all of my things. I've been out and about taking care of my job, address change, etcetera. You guys must be thirsty, right? Wait a sec, let me get you something to drink."

I was biting my lip, my heart felt like it was going to burst from beating so fast and so hard. I was glad I brought Donghyuk along with me, otherwise I wouldn't have survived being all alone with Bobby.

Soon, Bobby returned to the living room carrying a tray with a large pitcher and three glasses. "I was going to grab some cans of beer, but then I wasn't sure if you guys were of age, hehehe," he said, grinning. "But I've got sikhye, my mom made it and told me to bring it when I was moving here. Try this out."

I took a sip of the sikhye carefully, feeling like I was taking a drink that my future mother in law made for me. It tasted really nice and refreshing.

"Hyung, Junhoe told me you're a YouTuber? Is it any fun?" Donghyuk asked bluntly. I glared at him, but he either really didn't realize I was glaring at him or chose to ignore me glaring at him.

Bobby nodded. "Well, it really depends whether or not it's your hobby," he answered. "Um, sorry if I'm being chummy with you guys, I mean, it feels good to have new friends visiting me."

He then continued responding to Donghyuk's question and telling the story of how he started his career as a YouTuber. And just like that, the two of them began talking super animatedly. I couldn't even manage to say a word. Sipping my sikhye bit by bit, I was staring at Donghyuk and Bobby who looked as if they had been best friends for a long time.

Huh. I thought I came here with the intention of me getting close to Bobby. But why was this idiot I brought with me stole all the spotlight instead? I think I may have chosen the wrong strategy bringing Donghyuk along with me.

"Junhoe, do you like cooking?" Bobby asked me all of a sudden. I nearly choked with sikhye because I wasn't expecting him to talk to me.

"N-no, it's just a one time thing," I said (while pretending not to notice Donghyuk mocking me with his mouth). "The other day, Yunhyeong-hyung taught me to cook, and I was thinking I would cook for you, um, I mean, just in case you haven't figured out where to go to get good food around here, you know..."

Donghyuk was coughing like a tuberculosis patient. I ignored him. I hoped he really did choke.

"Oh, right. Yunhyeong works as a chef, right? Woah, must be great living with a chef," Bobby laughed. "What else can you cook, Junhoe?"

"Cook what, you can't even trust him with boiling water--OUCH!!"

"Just simple, easy recipes," I answered Bobby's question, acting like I hadn't just stabbed Donghyuk's side with my elbow. "Just stuff I would eat every day. But, um, I would really like to learn to cook more fancy food."

"Oooh, that's cool!" Bobby commented. "Can you cook bulgogi? Or galbitang? Or donkasu?"

"Those are all meat, Hyung. Don't you like fish and chips or spicy squid?" Donghyuk asked.

"Bobby-hyung doesn't like seafood," I said without thinking.

"True, but how did you know that?" Bobby looked at me.

OH, SHIT. Did I just get caught? Did Bobby just find out I had been watching his videos almost religiously to know he never ate seafood??!?

Urgently, I made up some stuff. "Um, I-I think you said something about that when you visited our place the other day..."

Bobby scratched his chin. "I probably did... Anyway, no, I don't like seafood. The smell makes me sick. And in my opinion, shrimps are still related somehow to cockroaches..."

While Bobby was blabbering about the possible familial relationship between shrimps and cockroaches in front of me and Donghyuk (whose mouth was wide open while he was listening to Bobby, probably trying to decide whether or not Bobby was serious), I took a deep breath and then let it out. Damn. I had no idea why but I was suddenly feeling so tired, and I hadn't even been in Bobby's apartment for more than half an hour. It wasn't because of Donghyuk, no, but I felt so depressed all of a sudden and I couldn't explain why.

I was feeling pessimistic that my effort would be successful.

**▪︎ TO BE CONTINUED ▪︎**


End file.
